


Of Helping Hands and Opening Nights

by sunflowersapphic



Category: The Book of Mormon - Parker/Stone/Lopez
Genre: Gen, M/M, Theatre AU, in which Kevin is the assistant sm and Connor is nervous about his big B-Way debut, this is pretty short D:
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-12
Updated: 2015-10-25
Packaged: 2018-04-26 01:09:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4984042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunflowersapphic/pseuds/sunflowersapphic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Connor's opening night and who better to give advice than the stage manager?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. How It Begins

_“Just focus on your breathing, Connor.”_

This is what he tells himself as he prepares himself mentally in his tiny dressing room backstage. This is, actually, what he told himself this morning upon waking up, and again when he was getting himself coffee, and once again when he finally arrived at the theatre earlier that afternoon. And so, this is what he tells himself as he sits in the small backstage space he calls his own and tries to ward off the impending anxiety attack he feels building up.

He can faintly hear patrons entering the theatre and excitedly taking their seats, which he supposes is a good thing for his big Broadway debut, but there is a large part of him that cannot help but wish nobody was there to see him at all. A million thoughts racing through his head at once and for some reason only the negative ones seemed to be getting through to him. With a shaky breath he took a long drink of water, hoping to ground himself somehow.

Jumping at he heard a knock at his door, Connor set his water bottle down and composed himself. “Yes…?”

Kevin Price, the ever-caffeinated assistant stage manager, poked his head into the room and gave one of his signature bight smiles. “Fifteen minutes to curtain, I think everyone is circling up. You ready?”

Connor tried to match Price’s enthusiasm and fell short, smiling nervously and shrugging. “Honestly? Yes, I know I am. My anxiety is having a hard time believing that, though.”

Kevin thought this over for a minute before stepping into the room and closing the door behind him, walking over and pulling out the seat next to Connor. “Do you mind if I…?” he gestured to the chair, taking a seat when Connor smiled and gave him a nod of approval. “Alright, I’m going to be straight with you here. I’ve been doing this for… god knows how long, since high school, and I still get this nervous before every show. And I’m not even on the damn stage.” Another smile, this time more contagious than the last. “The nerves hit all of us, we just have different ways of showing it. I mean, you should see some of the things I’ve caught Christopher doing.” Kevin laughed and paused for a moment before taking on a more serious demeanor. “My point is, this is entirely normal, and you are definitely not the only one backstage freaking out. This is your first night as principal, nobody is expecting you to be composed. You’ve got this, and I’m here for whatever you need. Now—“ he stood, holding his hand out for Connor to take, “are you ready to go out there and kick some ass?”

Connor laughed, standing and taking the hand he was offered after a moment of hesitation. He felt something warm spread throughout him, and he couldn’t tell if it was Kevin’s body heat or his nerves dissipating. He found that he didn’t care much either way. “Let’s go.”


	2. What Happens When One Assumes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of short, and leaves it open for the possibility of more should I want that!! I think if I add on to this, though, it will be as another independent fic. I like this concept a lot so I'm thinking I might turn it into a series of oneshots!

Three weeks into Connor’s run as a principal company member and he and Kevin had become somewhat of a team. Connor’s nerves were never anything like his first night, but Kevin was always in his dressing room shortly before curtain with a hand to hold and encouraging words to get the energy flowing. After a while the pre-show anxiety faded into a faint buzzing in the back of Connor’s mind, allowing him to focus on preparing himself—and Kevin’s company, for that matter.

The hand holding got progressively more affectionate, a fact neither seemed to mind. It eventually carried on outside of the privacy of Connor’s dressing room, leading to a number of questions from the rest of the cast and crew alike.

Kevin and Connor were in all honesty just as confused as the rest of them.

“Connor, can I ask you something?” Connor had just arrived at the theatre and was settling himself in when Kevin planted himself in a chair and seemed determined to find an answer.

“Er…” Connor paused, paying more attention to locating all his makeup brushes than whatever Kevin needed, “I suppose. What is it?”

The young brunet leaned back in the chair and glanced upwards, letting out a long sigh. “Are we dating? Or whatever?”

Connor dropped the brush he was holding, turning bright pink. “I-I don’t know, are we?” he replied, treading carefully. It was not as if he had never wanted to ask the same question himself. He had come close quite a few times, actually, but backed down under the assumption that if they were, Kevin would have actually made a move beyond holding his hand by now.

But you know what happens when one assumes.

Kevin returned to normal posture. “I don’t know, that’s why I just asked you, Con,” he sighed heavily and ran a hand down his face. “I mean, I thought we were, but then I thought that you and Steve were dating, and _then_ I thought we were _again_ , and now I just have no idea!” By this point he looked like something akin to a small, wounded animal. It was concerning and amusing at the same time. “I have no idea and it’s been driving me crazy because if we’re being honest I’ve been thinking about this since that first night and I thought it was just some stupid crush but I guess—I guess it isn’t. So there’s that.” Kevin finished his words in a rush and glanced down, avoiding eye contact and crossing his arms like he did when the head stage manager got on him about something. Like he had done something _wrong_.

Connor leaned against the edge of the counter, thinking through everything that had just been said. Everything in him wanted to pull Kevin out of the chair and tell him that _yes! Everything was alright and he wanted this too and it was all going to be okay!_ The logical part of Connor McKinley, however, said that that was an awful idea and forcing Kevin into that was probably not the best way to start a relationship.

Assuming, of course, that there was going to be a relationship.

(There were apparently many assumptions involved when it came to Kevin Price.)

Connor took a few more moments before responding. “I wouldn’t say we _are_ together, but we could be. It’s an option for us.”

Kevin looked up, looking more offended than anything. “What exactly does that mean?”

“It means, Kevin Price, that you never formally asked me out, and therefore I had no idea you were even into me,” Connor smiled. “Try this again with more flair and we’ll see where that takes us, yeah?”

A grin stretched across Kevin’s face. “Yeah. Yeah, I can do that.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> I have a second chapter of this that's in-progress but... unfortunately it is still in progress and I have no idea when I'll get it up. Hopefully soon!


End file.
